Unlocked
by Samuel Ray Knight
Summary: When Naruto overhears a secret conversation, a deadly plot is revealed the shatters everything he has known to be true. How will he be able to prevent his own, Hokage-sanctioned death?
1. Betrayal Discovered

Hello everyone! So, I know that I said I would not be able to post anything due to me moving in a few weeks, but I was bitten by the writing bug and this story just came to me as I was laying in be this morning. So, I welcome you to Unlocked. I have the story in my head right now and have not written anything down. I literally just had a moment to type this. This story will have the normal pairing of NaruSaku, but it will not be the main focus. Instead, family will be the main focus. Those who make up that family... you'll see.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or profit from this fanfiction or the Naruto franchise.**

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Chapter 1: Betrayal Discovered

Naruto pulled himself to the hotel room that he was sharing with Jiraya. It had been six months since the pair had left the village on a training trip, if you could call it that. All Jiraya had done was peep at hot spring and go out at night. In order to entertain himself, Naruto had taken to volunteering for different jobs in town, which often left him exhausted at the end of the day. On his off days, he either worked on some form of chakra control or simply conversed with Kurama, as he had a good relationship with the for, contrary to popular belief. The talks that the pair had ranged from strategies to experiences, and although the lessons may not have stuck the first time around, Naruto could feel that he could think things through a little better.

Approaching the room door, he noticed a crack, something that neither ninja ever did when they left the room. What he heard as he leaned in to listen would change his life.

Voices… male voices… one of which was the Pervy Sage himself.

"Is all going to plan, Jiraya?"

"Of course it is. Ever since the brat was born, Sarutobi-sensei and I made sure that Naruto would die by Sasuke's hand after you finished with him Orochi."

"You know, sensei never did tell me everything. How did you get him to be such an easy target?"

"Oh? Well, I guess I can tell you, since he's gone and all. When Minato died sealing the Kyuubi away, the original plan was to make the brat a weapon. But the risk of the monster breaking free was too great. So, we decided to make it so that we would kill him once he reached the age of 16, which ironically is when Minato wanted him to get his inheritance.

The problem was that the brat is a prodigy like his father and mother. To combat that, we placed a loyalty seal, a regression seal, and a memory seal on him. No matter what happens, the idiot won't ever become more than a genin."

"Regression seal?"

"I knew you skipped that section of fuinjutsu. Hence the reason I had to make your curse seal for you."

Orochimaru gave Jiraya a pointed look, prompting him to continue.

"The regression seal stunts the growth of the person wearing it, both physically and mentally, as well as preventing adequate chakra control by disruption pulses. We added the memory seal to replace any memories that conflicted with the loyalty seal."

"Doesn't the memory seal have lag time?"

"Only 12 hours. I've been slipping him sleeping pills in his ramen every night, making sure he gets 12 hours of sleep for it to work at midnight. Speaking of which, he should be back soon. I'll have to get the ramen to drug him again. Maybe next time you'll get here earlier and we can have some fun."

"We still can. Besides, don't you have a brothel to go to for your contact?"

"I guess. The brat is probably still doing those jobs I bribed the towns folk to give him so I could help you out with Sasuke. Come here."

As moans erupted from the room, Naruto felt the bitter tears of betrayal sting his corneas. There was only one thing he could do… RUN!

And run he did. He just kept going. He didn't care where he ended up. He just had to get away from that traitorous bastard named Jiraya.

Fortunately for him, Kurama had also heard the conversation, as Naruto's initial distress had awoken him from slumber. While the seals mentioned crippled Naruto, they did nothing to the fox thus far, and instead of suggesting a location, Kurama simply guided his tortured friend back to the one place that no one would look for him, the Forest of Death.

Back in Konoha, a single-eyed Jonin looked up at the night sky, his eye glossy with tears that he refused to let fall.

"Naruto, please be safe. I hope you can forgive me my transgressions. If only I could have done something."

In her office, a pigtailed hokage sat as stone in her seat after reading the mission scroll in front of her. It was a scroll dated 12 years ago calling for the death of her beloved blond grandson at the hands of his missing teammate to take place 4 years from now. It had been signed, not only by her former teacher, but also both of her teammates. Rage slowly leaked into her being as she reached for the accompanying scroll, thus discovering the details of a dastardly plan.

She had been told about the Mizuki incident, but now she saw that the whole thing had been planned. The only this they had not counted on was Iruka. The Chunin had been tasked with failing the boy, but he put the good of the village ahead of the ideologies of a few old men. Instead of punishing Iruka, they deemed useful to augment the loyalty seal, as well as Teuichi and Ayame Ichiraku.

Tsunade found herself in a bind. If she tried to save Naruto, there was too much of a risk that Jiraya would kill him early. Also, she could not undo the decrees of past hokages. There was also the fact that she had no idea if Jiraya had completed the apprentice ritual with Naruto yet. She prayed that he had not, or there would be nothing that she could do.

A pulse of wild and angry chakra ran through her, one that she knew only belonged to one person. The potency indicated that something had happened and the fox was in control. She could not approach him now, especially with where he was. But she could do one thing.

"ANBU!"

The four operatives in her office appeared.

"Command your units to block all entrances to Training Ground 44 to all shinobi, including Anko. Only those who bear my seal may enter. Any resistance will result in death with my permission. Your units are to remain there until further notice. Am I understood?"

"Yes Hokage-sama!" came the reply as the quartet vanished.

' _I hope this will be enough to protect you, Naruto."_ She thought sadly.

"WHY?! Why would they do this?! I trusted them!" Naruto screamed in his mindscape as he cried into the soft fur of Kurama's tails.

"I do not know the answer, kit. If I did, I would tell you. But shouldn't we try to fix this before midnight when the memories are erased? We only have about 6 hours until then." Kurama soothed, gently pushing Naruto out of his rage and sadness.

"But how do we fix it?! I have no idea where the seals are! And I can't release seals anyway. If I could, you wouldn't be in here still."

"I know that, kit. I may be able to do something. But I'll need to pump more chakra than the seal allows into your system to find them. The only way to do that is by ripping some of the seal off."

"The loyalty seal would prevent that right?"

"Not if I help you to it. The seals cannot affect me. Also, if I know what the Fourth, he would have placed a failsafe so that if you tried to release me, he would appear. If he does, then the loyalty seal should not activate, as my release would be prevented by his presence and would keep you loyal to them."

Naruto slowly processed the information, feeling the regression seal kick in and actively fight him. He ground his teeth together and uttered two words.

"Do it."

Kurama used two tails, on lifting Naruto to the seal, the other placing his hand on the edge of it.

As he gripped it, they both felt the loyalty seal activate, pulling Naruto away from the cage, causing the seal to rip in his grip.

Then time froze.

A blond-haired man appeared, grabbing Naruto and leaping away from the cage as he felt the loyalty seal deactivate.

"I guess Kushina was right. I got to meet our son first."

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So, here is chapter 1. I hope you enjoyed. If you did please leave me a review with your thoughts and what you think is going to happen next. Until next time.


	2. Father First, Hokage Second

Hello again everyone! I must say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone for all the support! I read every single review and I must say that some of you had some really interesting ideas about where this would go. Please keep reading and reviewing. I love reading your reviews.

 **Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

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Chapter 2: Father First, Hokage Second

The softly spoken words were bittersweet to Naruto. On one hand, he now knew who his parents were, something he always wanted. On the other hand, he was slowly becoming enraged at his father's actions 12 years ago that left him entangled in this web of lies.

"Why?" he asked, his voice just loud enough for his father to hear.

"Hm?"

"Why did you do it? Why did you seal Kurama in me and abandon me? Why did you leave me alone when I needed you the most? WHY?!"

The voice that started as a soft rumble, had ended in a booming explosion that Minato could not have predicted. Had his instructions not been followed? Did his master not look after his son like he had asked?

"Are you not going to answer the kit, Minato? Or has that genius brain of yours finally given out?" Kurama growled, jolting Minato out of his thoughts.

Minato released his son, getting a better look at him. What he saw lit his paternal rage. He had to ask. He had to know.

"Naruto, please tell me. Did your godfather take care of you? Did Jiraya train you and protect you like I asked him too?"

The room chilled as Naruto began to laugh. It was a laugh completely void of all feeling and emotion.

"Did he protect me? If by that, you mean stunt my growth and hand me over to a bastard Uchiha to be killed in 4 years, then yes, he did a damn good job."

Minato's eyes widened. His master… no… that traitor had done what?

"Oh and did I mention that he and Hiruzen-teme placed extra seals on me to make sure that it would be an easy job?"

There was a slight tremble in Minato's frame as the words crashed over him. Two of the people he trusted the most had not only lied to him, but also had plotted to undo his entire sacrifice and that of his son.

"And did I forget…"

"ENOUGH!"

Minato held his son's face in his hands, placing their foreheads together.

"Forgive me, Naruto. Had I known this would happen, I would have taken the fox with me instead of sealing it within you. I would have done anything else if I had the choice."

"Did you two love me at all?"

"More than you can ever imagine. Don't ever doubt that we loved you with every fibre of our being. Now, let me fix the seal so that…"

"No."

"What?"

"You can't fix the seal yet."

Minato was stunned. The whole reason he left his imprint was because he knew that the fox would try and break out. From the sound of things, he had missed something.

"Ningen, what your son is telling you is that he needs to destroy part of the seal so that I can remove the other seals holding him back."

The sharp look aimed at Kurama caused him to huff impatiently.

"Listen, you pint-sized flesh bag! Your imprint is the key to getting this done! We only have just under 5 hours before the memory seal activates and we are back at square one! I know we had a less than desirable first meeting, but for the sake of the kit, work with us and loosen the seal."

Minato groused, walking up and grabbing the seal.

"I don't trust you fox. But, those who I did have forced my hand. I also owe you for looking after my boy for the past 12 years. But do not cross me!"

With that, Minato ripped a third of the seal off, causing an explosion of red chakra to burst forth and race down the corridors.

Naruto screamed as he felt his pathways fill with molten lava. The pain began to concentrate on the pack of his neck, causing his already piercing cries to become deafening as Minato cradled his son to his chest, attempting to soothe him with gentle words and soft caresses to his scalp.

Kurama did his best to ignore the agony mere feet in front of him, focusing on the task at hand. He hated when Naruto was in pain. Unfortunately, this was necessary to find out what they were dealing with.

"Hold on, kit. I've almost finished analysing the seals."

As he spoke, he noticed something that caused him to growl dangerously. The implications of this discovery would be kept secret until his kit was freed.

After what seemed like hours, the tidal wave of pain stopped and Naruto quietened down, barely holding on to consciousness.

His son's strength both saddened and gave extreme pride to Minato. He was amazed at his son's will to survive, but distraught that he had to have such a high tolerance for pain and torture.

"Did you find them?" Came the pain-ridden question.

"I did kit. It is more complex than we thought."

"How much more?" Minato rumbled, this rage beginning to quake again.

"The seals are linked together. For us to remove them, we need to section them off from the outside. There is also the matter of the master monitor switch that rests on the memory seal, which is located near the base of his skull, with the other seals underneath that linearly. We need to remove all the seals before the memory seal activates. Once we begin, we will have a window of 60 seconds, as each one has an inner kill switch that will activate if it is disconnected from the memory seal.

Normally, all that you would need to do is remove the seals yourself, Yondaime. But, it seems that your traitorous master noticed your imprint seal and made an instant kill switch should you try. He also linked those seals to mine, and since some of my chakra powers the seal, it also keeps these seals active. I cannot burn them off with my power embedded in them."

"Then what do we do? I don't have enough chakra left to get outside?"

"You don't. But your son does. Thanks to the meddling of those hairless monkeys, the kit was forced to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu since the regression seal shot his control to all hell. I will provide you with enough chakra to survive the process and direct your remaining chakra to the clone. All Naruto had to do is make the clone."

Minato looked at his half-dead son, tears in his eyes.

"My son, will you be able to do it?"

Naruto did not answer. Instead he looked back at his father with a look of determination before vanishing, knowing that his father would understand.

"Seems like he has his mother's stubborn streak."

"So it seems, ningen."

"Hey, fox."

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"Ha! Don't you start getting soft on me human. That's your son's job." Kurama replied, tapping him with a tail.

Naruto awoke to a clearing surrounded by dense forest. The sun was already setting.

"Kit. Make the clone."

Naruto shook his head before forming the ever-familiar hand sign.

" **Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"**

The tell-tale puff of smoke appeared and a voice was heard.

"Well, son? Did it work?"

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And CUT! I am having so much fun with this one. How will they remove the seals? And what was the secret Kurama kept from them? Find out next time.


	3. Set Me Free

**I AM SO SORRY! Moving took a lot more out of me than I thought it would. I'm finally settled into a routine now and I can get more chapters up. I hope you all enjoy this one.**

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 **Chapter 3: Set Me Free**

Minato only had mere moments to brace himself before Naruto barrelled into him, burying his face into his father's abdomen. He could feel wetness seeping through his clothing as he carded his fingers lovingly through his son's hair.

"I'm here, little one. I'm here. Now, let's get those seals off of you"

Naruto nodded, releasing his hold on his father, scared that he would disappear instantly. He went to reach for a kunai when a he felt a sharp pain on his neck, causing his whole body to freeze.

Minato caught the faint glow of a seal, causing a menacing growl to escape his chest.

Taking a calming breath, he gently reached into Naruto's pocket and grabbed the kunai, brushing his knuckles against his son's clenched fist.

The touch surprised Naruto enough to almost cause his body to drop from the sense of peace and safety that his father emitted.

Minato's grip only tightened as he felt the boy go slack, slowly guiding him down to the base of the tree behind him.

Kurama was loathed to interrupt this moment of emotional reunion, but time was of the essence.

"Kit, we must hurry. Tell him that he must shave off the body of the seals before separating them from the matrix, starting with the first one. I will handle the rest."

Naruto, heard the sense of finality in Kurama's voice, mentally questioning it.

"Worry not, kit. All will be fine." Kurama soothed, calming and distracting the young ninja.

After relating the method to his father, Naruto braced himself for the inevitable pain that would be involved. He swore that he would have his revenge on Jiraya, for both his and Sarutobi-teme's betrayal.

"Sochi," Minato called, gaining his attention, before bringing his lips to the junction between his neck and shoulder.

"This is going to hurt. Bite down when you need to. Don't worry about hurting me. For once, let me take some of your pain, little one."

If time was not against them, Naruto would have broken down a second time. Instead, he lightly brushed the spot with his lips as tears slipped from his eyes to the tanned shoulder.

Minato gave a heartsick smile, pressing a kiss to his hair.

"I love you too, my son."

Steeling himself for his task, Minato set the edge of the kunai against Naruto's neck, allowing the blade to sink to the dermis, before beginning to slowly drag it down towards the bottom of the main seal.

His left eye twitched as he felt slightly sharpened canines puncture his own skin. Teeth grazed the skin of his collar bone before a warm liquid began soaking his neck and hand. Still, he focused on the task at hand, approaching the halfway point of the first seal.

As the pain increased, Naruto did his absolute best to not gnaw on his father's neck, even though he was allowed to do so.

Soon, he could tell that the main seal had been destroyed, as he could feel the corrosive effects of Kurama's power burning the separated flesh and creating a black canvas as a replacement.

Before Minato could marvel at the clean expanse of skin, free of offensive marks, the remaining seals flared to life, reminding him of the stranglehold that time had placed upon them.

Try as he might, Naruto could not help clenching his already powerful jaws on the sinew that rested between his canines. The destruction of the first seal and the activation of the kill switched on the remaining two felt like someone was pushing acid through his veins. Not even the coppery taste of life that coated his tongue could distract him anymore.

"It's okay." He heard murmured in his hair, the firm and soothing touch of his father's hand in his hair as his jaws re-clenched, almost to the point of severance. The kunai began again.

As the second mark began to pull away, the results of the removal of the memory seal washed over Naruto. Things he had learned at the Academy, from taijutsu forms and genjutsu, to handsigns for ninjutsu, to tactics and strategy basics. He remembered those he could trust, like Teuchi, Ayame, Tsunade, Iruka, and to an extent Kakashi. He remembered life in Konoha and his implanted dream. He never wanted to be Hokage. ANBU Captain was more his style.

As he sorted through the memories, the second mark, the regression seal, burned off. Unbridled agony shot across his small frame as his limbs lengthened, stretching muscle and skin. He could not help the high-pitched cry that escaped his being.

"Only one more, kit. Hang on." Kurama's voice called, sounding remarkably pained and weak. Naruto knew not to question it now, but he would remember to check on the fox after all was said and done.

Minato had a deep-seated worry as he began removing the loyalty seal. Would he harbour hatred for his birthplace? Would he become a missing nin?

The thought, although concerning was warranted. He would not fault his son if he wanted to raze the village to the ground. He was tempted to lead the charge himself. No, Minato was not delusional, believing that the village was the epitome of purity. His own master and trusted advisor were proof of that. If he had his way, those sorry fools would learn first-hand exactly why Iwa feared him, painfully.

As the kunai slid underneath skin at a snail's pace, the seconds began winding down.

10…

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

A final, all-consuming burn signified the destruction of the loyalty seal.

As the pain subsided, Naruto pried his mouth off his father's neck, openly staring at the damage he had caused.

"W-was that me?"

Minato simply ruffled his hair, kissing his forehead.

"You've been through so much more Naru. I'll be alright."

As he spoke, a familiar steam erupted from the wound as the skin stitched itself back together. Minato grinned.

"Looks like we have more in common now, huh."

"Naruto to smiled genuinely as he embraced his father, hearing Kurama's voice in his head.

"Just as it should be."

Naruto's breath hitched.

"What's wrong, Naru?"

"Something's wrong with Kurama. He sounds… weak."

"Go to him. I'll watch over you"

Naruto nodded, closing his eyes before appearing in a familiar sewer.

He could not believe his eyes.

"K-Kurama?!"

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 **Uh oh! What's wrong with Kurama? Find out next in the next chapter, which I promise will not take 7 months to come out. As always, please leave a review. Also, in the move I left my manuscript for Unexpected with all my other stuff before I moved. I am in the process of getting it, but it could take a while, so please be patient. Thank you all again for taking the time to read this little brain child. I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me, what do you think is wrong with Kurama? What's going to happen next?**

 **Until next time.**


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